PartyNaked (4 page)

She smiled at him. “You have no idea.”

“What do you say we start over? I’m Jarod Nolan.” He reached
out, offering his hand.

She took it—then surprised him by using the grip to pull him
closer. “I’m Stephanie Harper and it seems to me we’re beyond the handshaking
phase.”

Her words, as well as his hand in hers, drew him still
closer. He bent, intent on placing another soft kiss on her lips. They were
virtual strangers, but he’d have been hard-pressed to resist her allure. A gun
pointed at his head couldn’t have kept him from stealing another kiss.

She met him halfway. Their lips touched briefly before the
light went on for both of them. This wasn’t normal behavior. He pulled back as
she took a step away.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m not sure why—”

He shrugged good-naturedly. “I’m not sure either, but it’s
too good to fight.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “So you’re seriously on a
case? There’s some bad guy in my bar right now as we speak?”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. Another woman enamored
of the glamour of crime and detective work. Strangely enough, he didn’t mind it
coming from Stephanie. She sounded more concerned about her business and the
safety of the patrons.

He wasn’t sure how to burst her bubble. It was his first day
in his new position and he’d been given a lame case. He was ninety-nine-percent
sure the person he was assigned to follow was innocent, but that didn’t mean he
wasn’t going to do his job.

“There’s a suspect in the bar, but I don’t think anyone is
in harm’s way. I’m just keeping an eye on things.”

She released a relieved breath. “Well, that’s good. I don’t
suppose you can give me a hint of the type of crime we’re talking about here.
It’s not a murder suspect, right?”

He grinned. “No murderers inside as far as I know.”

“Good. Tell you what. Why don’t you come back in and I’ll
buy you a drink. I feel like celebrating a surprisingly good end to a horrible
day.”

“Sounds great, but I think it would be better if you let me
buy my own drink, a non-alcoholic one. We aren’t supposed to know each other
and I’m on duty, remember?”

“Yeah, well, if we’re strangers, that kiss is going to be
tough to explain. But we’ll try it your way. I’ve never seen you before.”

He followed her into the bar without replying. She didn’t
feel like a stranger and God knew he didn’t want her to remain one. He would
definitely be coming back to Books and Brew again, and next time, he would be
off duty.

As they entered the bar, Jarod noticed the book group was
finished for the night. Several of the ladies were putting on their jackets,
settling their tabs and gathering their things.

Two women approached Stephanie with big grins on their
faces.

“So,” the older lady said, “are you going to introduce us to
your new boyfriend, Stephanie?”

Stephanie was quiet for a moment and Jarod could see she was
searching for an answer. It was clear the entire reading group had witnessed
their make-out session by the bar.

“Jarod Nolan,” he said, wrapping his arm around Stephanie’s
shoulders and pulling her closer.

Stephanie gave him her now-familiar WTF glance and he
grinned.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends,
sweetheart?” he prompted.

“Um, this is Gladys and her niece, Carol. They’re part of
the Romantic Hearts book club. They meet here every Thursday evening.”

“Ah, Romantic Hearts.” Jarod caught a glimpse of the books
they were holding and the purple cover with some Fabio-looking dude would have
clued him into the genre if the group name hadn’t already. Both women were
looking at him like he was a prime piece of meat and he figured the book must
have gotten them good and worked up. He’d clearly have to avoid Thursday nights
at this bar.

“Tonight’s story was a pirate one, set in the Regency era.
Simply wonderful,” Gladys gushed.

He nodded and tried to keep his thoughts to himself, an
unnecessary effort when Stephanie spoke them aloud herself.

“Weren’t pirates dirty, smelly guys who never bathed and
robbed people blind? How is that romantic?”

Jarod looked over at her and wondered if he’d met the woman
of his dreams.

Gladys shook her head at Stephanie’s disdain. “Oh no, my
dear. That’s not the point, is it? This is fiction, so pirates can be debonair,
handsome, rough. All those amazingly fascinating things. The hero of this book
was quite dashing, and the heroine was a spunky woman who gave him a run for
his money.”

“Isn’t that the prerequisite for all romance books?”
Stephanie’s deadpan tone was nearly his undoing, and Jarod coughed to cover up
the laugh he had trouble stifling.

Gladys didn’t take offense at Stephanie’s observations and
Jarod got the sense this was a familiar conversation. “Ah, we’ll make a
romantic of you one day, Stephanie. I haven’t given up on you. So what do you
do for a living, Jarod?”

He smiled at the older woman and told his lie smoothly.
“Well, I’m no pirate. Just a firefighter.”

“Oh, what an admirable profession.” Gladys’ eyes lit up and
Jarod wondered if she was picturing him as a hero suitable for one of her
books.

Another woman joined their circle and Jarod felt Stephanie
stiffen.

“Hey, Jayne,” Stephanie said. “This is Jarod. Um, we met at
the liquor store and he popped in tonight to surprise me.”

“Oookay,” Jayne said, her gaze not leaving Stephanie. While
Gladys and her niece were acquaintances, it was apparent Jayne was a good
enough friend to be confused by Jarod’s overly familiar touch and the earlier
kiss.

“He asked me out,” Stephanie said.

Jayne nodded. “That’s great. And you say you’re a
firefighter, Jarod?”

Jarod confirmed her question with a short nod. “Gladys and
Carol were just telling me about your book group.”

“Yep, the Romantic Hearts have been meeting every Thursday
evening for over a year now,” Jayne said. “We keep trying to get Stephanie to
join, but she seems to be missing the romance gene.”

Stephanie grinned. “I decided it was a better use of my time
to get in the sex line twice and skip the mushy-gushy procession altogether.”

Jarod swallowed hard, fighting like crazy to keep down the
erection he’d just managed to will away. Nothing worse than standing in a
circle of women with a boner. Every word Stephanie said spoke straight to his
libido. Unable to resist adding to her jest, he pulled her closer. “That’s very
good information to have. What are you doing later tonight?”

The ladies laughed as Gladys shook her head. “Don’t
encourage her. You know Jarod, we’ve been trying to convince a gentleman to
join the Romantic Hearts group. It would be fascinating to get the male
perspective of the stories we read.”

A refusal was poised on the tip of his tongue, but two
thoughts occurred to him. One, if he joined the club, he’d have another chance
to see Stephanie, and two—as an afterthought—he remembered his suspect was a
regular at Books and Brew. If he’d been any sort of decent cop, he would have
thought of the case first, but his cock was currently acting as his brain. “I
think that sounds like fun. I might be able to join you for one week. I’m
usually on duty Thursday nights, but as luck would have it, I’m off next week.
Of course, I’ll only join on one condition.”

It was clear he’d shocked all four women by indicating an
interest in reading even one romance novel.

“What condition?” Jayne asked, her voice telling him she’d
agree to just about anything, and Jarod knew he stood a good chance at getting
his way.

“That Stephanie joins us next week as well. Sounds like we
need to expose her to romance.”

“Forget it.” Stephanie tried to shrug off the arm he still
had wrapped tightly around her shoulder, but he wouldn’t let her escape.
Besides, he liked having her close, and noted how well she fit him. Cheryl had
been petite, nearly a foot shorter than him. It had made kissing—and
sex—challenging at times. Stephanie’s height was perfect for his six-foot-two
frame, the top of her head even with his mouth. He wouldn’t have to bend at all
to press a light kiss against her soft hair.

“Stephanie, please. It’s only for one week and you know
we’ve been trying to get a guy to join us for months.” Jayne’s plea was
genuine.

“What about Elias?”

Jayne shook her head. “He won’t budge.”

Stephanie gave her friend an exasperated glance that turned
malevolent when she looked at Jarod. He grinned. Seemed like someone didn’t
like being trapped. Stephanie wasn’t going down without a fight and it took all
he had not to say, “bring it.”

“You may have next Thursday off, but I don’t. I’m tending
the bar. If I’m in the group, who would make the Screwdrivers?”

A perky blonde, who was waiting tables, walked by at that
exact moment. “I can make Screwdrivers. Who wants one?”

“Oh dear,” Gladys muttered.

“Not tonight, Sophie,” Jayne explained quickly. “Next week,
Stephanie and her new friend Jarod are going to join the Romantic Hearts
discussion. Do you think you could tend bar for an hour or so on your own?”

Sophie shrugged. “Sure. I mean, Stephanie will be close if
someone orders anything too tricky. Might be fun to take over the party queen’s
domain for a little while.”

“Party queen?” he asked.

Sophie giggled. “Stephanie is the ruling fun-maker around
here. We all just follow her lead.”

“Very funny, Soph. I promised Elias a drink ages ago. Go
pour it.”

“Oh,” Jayne said, perking up. “I’ll get it for him. I wanted
to show him a new book that arrived this week.”

When Gladys took up Jarod’s cause, he knew the battle was
won. “Carol, go grab two more copies of next week’s book. Oh my goodness, I can
hardly wait for next Thursday.”

Carol arrived and thrust a book in his hands with a picture
of a guy sporting six-pack abs and a gun.

“No pirate?” he teased.

“Next week’s story is a romantic suspense and it’s about a
hot cop.”

Jarod closed his eyes to keep from rolling them as his
earlier annoyance returned. He’d forgotten to add books to his list of things
that romanticized his job.

Stephanie laughed. “Sounds perfect. I’m in. Might be nice to
see a sexy cop for once.”

He opened his eyes and gave her a wicked grin that promised
he’d show her a sexy cop right now if she wanted. Her eyes widened briefly
before she gave him a smile that couldn’t be misconstrued as saying anything
other than “come to mama”.

Game over. It was official. He wanted Stephanie Harper and
he intended to bring her in. He’d pull out the cuffs if necessary. Hell, he’d
pull them out regardless.

Chapter Three

Gladys and Carol said their goodbyes after saddling
Stephanie with the unwanted reading assignment. Sophie went off to wipe up the
tables the book group had just vacated, leaving her alone with her frustrating
cop.

Stephanie sighed. “Wow. Where the hell did that all go
wrong?”

Jarod didn’t seem a bit upset about the evening’s
misunderstandings and missteps. In fact, the man had purposely led everyone
down the wrong path. “What do you mean?”

She needed to put some distance between her and the hot cop.
She couldn’t think when he was touching her. She walked toward the bar, lifting
the panel at the end that allowed her to step behind it. He quickly claimed a
stool across from where she stood and she realized it didn’t matter if he
touched her. Just being in the same room with him had her scrambling to recapture
her wits. She’d never had a man get the best of her or affect her so strongly.
This wasn’t good. She liked being in control, but she suspected Jarod did too.
An image crossed her mind, of two bulls ramming into each other headfirst—until
one or both of them dropped dead of brain damage.

She tidied behind the bar. When she was stressed, she
cleaned. “I thought we were supposed to be strangers?”

He shrugged. “They saw us kissing, so this works out better.
Now I have an excuse to be here all the time. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

Stephanie shook her head emphatically. “Hell no.”

He seemed confused by her adamant refusal. While she
suspected her attraction wasn’t one-sided, there was something about Jarod that
made her uneasy. Not in a creepy way, but in a
things-were-about-to-get-out-of-hand way.

“Why can’t I pretend to be your boyfriend? Are you dating
someone else?”

She briefly considered lying. She could tell him about Hank
the Tank. Instead, she said, “No. I’m not dating anyone.”

Jarod’s eye lit up and she got a sense he was relieved.

Great, I’m definitely in trouble.

Then she remembered his words. He’d “pretend” to be her
boyfriend. “Are
you
dating someone?”

He shook his head. “Just broke up with my last girlfriend.”
His smile faded a bit. “Or I should say she dumped me.”

Stephanie was shocked. What kind of idiot had he been
dating? “Why?”

“She said I was too nice.”

“Christ. You couldn’t have been dating for long. Did she
even know you?”

Jarod’s grin reappeared and she tried not to acknowledge how
gorgeous he looked when he smiled. She could see herself falling for the
arrogant cop, and she never fell. Never.

“Thanks a lot.” His sardonic tone made her laugh.

“Well, you have to admit, that
niceness
flaw isn’t
something you’ve been flashing at me much today. You gave me a parking ticket.”

“Which I tore up,” he interrupted.

“Then you kissed me as a means of shutting me up.”

“You liked the kiss. It turned you on, admit it.”

She shook her head. “I’m pleading the fifth on that. Then
you forced me to join some bleeding-hearts, chick-book club. I fucking hate
romance novels.”

“I have to read the book too.”